


Test Locations

by CarterCorn



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Fantasy, I was really bored, Original work - Freeform, Other, Slow Burn, Violence, and this seemed like a good idea, scifi, tw self harm, tw violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2020-02-16 04:21:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18684040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarterCorn/pseuds/CarterCorn
Summary: James has lived in the same lab for twelve years, and suddenly there is a new character just. Tossed in.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really proud of this, so... don't be mean?

The wind swirled around, knocking trees and people back away from the square. People trying to run were shoved to the ground, and the trees held them in place. It seemed, to most at least, that this was an unordinary day. They were sadly mistaken. They had lived this day thirty one times now. 

James looked around at the people. They did this every day, completely unaware that they could turn and walk away. No one had ever tried. James was always confused, it seemed. He never felt like he completely understood this experiment. Maybe he was being tested again. It would not be the first time. He had entered the arena how many years ago? Twelve? Something like that. Since then, he had been tested one hundred and thirty three times. He kept track.   
James turned and walked away from the experiment. He was certain it was a test now, but he didn’t know exactly what he was being tested on. Could be anything, really. He decided to go on gut feeling and try to get the people away from the square, and kill whatever magic was causing that storm.   
Entering his lab, he donned his coat and goggles and went back to studying his sample of bark from yesterday. It seemed completely normal. He spent several hours this way, collecting samples of everything from the grass and rocks to air from around the square and hair from people’s heads. None of it really mattered. It would all be the same the next day. But he studied on. The day grew into night and James decided to try just asking the people to walk.  
So he did, and surprisingly, it worked just fine. As he went around and told people how to avoid the situation, they walked off into their houses, and the source of the magic disappeared little by little.  
A red light flashed twice in the sky followed by one green light. Failure, failure, success. The skin on James’ left leg burned in two places with the branding tattoos of failing this test. His right arm glowed and showed a white mark of success on his dark skin. The successes far outweighed the failures right now.   
A booming voice was heard from the sky above James’ head. “You have taken too much time, and you have over-complicated this task. You understood the objective. Thirty two. Do you understand, James Oliver Stone?”  
James nodded and the voice was gone. Thirty two meant that he had thirty two days of rest until he had to go through another test. “Good,” he thought. He would have time to research. To learn more about his ever changing environment. James figured he would have time enough to collect ten samples from this town before the scene would shift and he would need to return home and sleep.   
It was a tradition of his to collect a memento from each test. This one, he thought, would be the ring that a woman dropped in her hurry. He took the ring, and his ten samples before returning to his lab to read, and finally, to sleep.

The next morning, he woke up in a version of his lab with green-tinted light streaming through the windows and walls of concrete with vines growing up the sides and spiders crawling to the nooks and crannies of his home. He took a long breath of clean, humid air. He checked his drawers. The clothes that had been placed there resembled what one might wear in a heavily wooded area, but one with a lot of bugs. There were long sleeve shirts made of a material that was meant to wick sweat away, as well as long sleeve shirts with thick cotton or wool for the night. There were thick pants with many pockets, and long socks, and in the corner James found hiking boots. As he got dressed and awaited instructions, James wondered where they had put him this time.   
When he entered the arena, he was seven years old. His first test was simple, fit for a child. Outrun a tiger. He didn’t outrun it. Luckily he was not eaten. The scar on his foot reminded him of that close call. He still didn’t know quite how he got away.   
James was nineteen now, and could probably outrun that tiger if he were to try again, but he didn’t particularly want to.   
The booming voice began to speak. “James Oliver Stone. Are you prepared for the next location? This will not be a testing location. This is a research-only area.” James nodded. “Good. You may exit your building and begin. Beware of the animals. There will be an opportunity to obtain a companion in this place.”   
James stepped outside of his lab, taking in his surroundings. The world around him seemed to glow in bright hues of green and gold and blue, and he gasped out loud. The trees were taller than he had ever seen trees be before. He looked at the ground and saw dirt covered in leaves and vegetation. There were flowers and vegetables growing and animals all around. It could only be described as beautiful.   
As he stepped forward, the scenery seemed to get even more beautiful. The branches of the enormously tall trees parted to reveal birds of every colour. Frogs and apes stared at him as he moved through the trees in silence. Sitting down by a tree, James allowed himself to cry. He let himself look at the beautiful things around him and sob, and think of life.   
When he was young, James’ parents hated him. He spent the first thirteen years of his life completely mute. He always preferred silence to talking. He loved the sound of this jungle. All around him, birds called to each other, and frogs croaked, and leaves rustled, and even the trees seemed to smile down at him in greeting, with the soft noises of their leaves.

An hour passed before James stood up, and began to collect things from around the location. A leaf here, a flower there. Dirt samples, vegetables for inspection, and water from a tiny babbling stream to the right of his lab. Fish swam lazily in the stream, finding their way to little pools and ponds off of the stream.   
It was a busy day in the lab then. Every microscope had a slide under its lens. James collected more dirt and found a wooden box he had saved once. After determining that the vegetables were completely safe, he planted some in his box. He had gotten tired of powdered and freeze dried meals when he was eight. The dirt was beautiful, and perfect for growing things. The leaves weren’t mutated, like the forest he had been to once. The flowers were beautiful and smelled good. The water from the stream was the only thing that was different and that was just because water isn’t safe to drink until it is boiled. You don’t really want to drink fish guts.   
When James fell asleep that night, he felt happy for the first time in a long while. For the time being, there was no test. No danger that he wasn’t prepared for. And a chance for a companion. That could mean anything. It could mean a dog, a cat, a different animal, or even a person to be with him. Once when he was younger, he had a dog. His first companion. He had named it Draco, because his dog was so brave and strong he deserved to be a dragon. The dog died of natural causes when James was twelve. He was hoping for something like that again. The feeling of safety.   
There was something special about having a companion of any sort, he had noticed. When Draco was alive, walking into the lab felt like coming home. He slept soundly, and he smiled, and he felt safe. It felt like the world might be okay. He had his puppy, and he had his research, and honestly, what else did he need? 

That night, James dreamed of safety. He dreamed of the girl. She stood beside him and led him to a large building. It was made of glass, and it was filled with plants of every sort. Trees drew a line down the middle, and all of the house was filled with vegetation. In the far corner, Draco waited for him on a bed covered with soft, white blankets. James looked at the dog and laughed. He looked back toward the girl, but she had gone, as fast as she came. He missed her. She had a sweet smile and a gentle manner, and James wanted to go on adventures with her. The dream figure.   
He made his way over to the bed and lied down. He closed his eyes and let his dream feel real for enough time to wake up. 

New day. James was simultaneously happy to continue his research and lonely. He stepped outside of the lab and turned the corner to go to the corner with the little garden. The vegetables that had already been there looked good and ready to be harvested and replanted in his planter box. He gathered what he could hold and took it in to his lab to be messed with later. He was going to return for the remainder or the garden plants, but when he got outside, they were gone. As if they had vanished into thin air.   
Returning to his lab, James did not know what to expect. He thought perhaps, when he saw the open door, that an animal had found its way into his safe haven. He thought, looking at the leaves that were disturbed along the path, that the wind had blown so hard that the door came open, and he had simply forgotten that he had brought the vegetables in already. These were not necessarily the sort of thing he expected. But he did not expect, certainly, to open his door wider, to step into his lab, to find the girl from the dream.


	2. Chapter Two

James stared at the girl, completely still, scared out of his mind. The girl stared back. She looked exactly how she did in the dream, but more afraid, and dirty. She was covered in leaves and soil, and appeared to be dressed for a test location that James had been to early on. She had an Indian sari on, and she didn’t have shoes. The men in the sky had not treated her kindly.   
James approached her slowly, and spoke for what felt like the first time. “Hello. I’m James. I swear I’m not going to do anything bad, but can I have my plants back?” She shook her head and held them tightly. “I’ll share, if you give them to me? I have to inspect them for mutations. Have you eaten any?”  
“Yes. I ate a carrot. I don’t feel good.”  
James walked toward the girl. He took the vegetables back gently and set them down.   
“What’s your name?”  
“Melody. I’m sorry for your plants. I woke up here and I had this scar,” she pointed to a large bite shaped scar on her upper arm, “and I’m terrified and I’m certain I look like an utter maniac. I was home three weeks ago. I had my baby sister with me, and my mom was making supper. And then I can’t remember anything else.” She looked nervous about talking so much. “James?” She looked at him, worried.   
“Yes?”  
“How long have they kept you here?”  
James didn’t answer for a long while. He sat down on his bed. He picked at his nails. He looked anywhere but at Melody when he said, “Twelve years.” He couldn’t bear to think about this girl being here that long. Her mom, and her little sister, they were looking for her probably. It suddenly occurred to James in that moment what was going on. They were stolen.   
Melody looked at James carefully, tears threatening to roll down her face. “Twelve years…” She walked slowly toward the stream outside. Sitting down, Melody let herself cry. The words she wanted to say to her family seemed to bubble up and out of her mouth in sobs into the cold water. The fish in the little pools looked at her, seeming to understand the tragedy that was happening. Melody cried for a long time, letting her tears mix with the water. She couldn’t stand, or speak, or move in any way. She stayed frozen, held down by the gravity of her situation. 

That night, Melody slept outside. She laid in the soft dirt of the garden and covered herself with large leaves from the ground. She dreamed that night. Two separate dreams. The first was familiar; she had it every night since she got here. It was her family. Her mother stood by the fireplace, looking at an article online. Every so often she would mention something interesting that the article said. Tonight was something about malignant brain tumors. Apparently, they still don’t know how to treat them. They kill people.   
The second dream was odd. James was there. She stood next to him as they entered a small cottage in a forest. The cottage was decorated very comfortably, with braided and fluffy rugs covering almost every inch of floor. The windows had lights around them, even though the holiday season was not close. The main room was filled with comfortable chairs and couches, and the wall had a fireplace with a television on top. The kitchen was beautiful and tiny, and had plants in it. In her sleep, she gasped. She went to a small room off of the main room, and saw the beautiful bed. It was made up with soft white covers and a dog was sitting on it. Soon, she could hear something moving in the kitchen. Investigating seemed to be her only option at this point, so she crept down the hall. It was James. He was cooking something with spinach and chicken and she could smell the aroma of happiness from her hiding place by the wall.   
Dream-James turned and saw her. He offered a bit of the sauce that he had just finished making. Melody was confused. The last dream -- and she was certain that it was a dream, as was this -- was normal. It was her home. But this dream was so domestic. She felt safe, but it felt wrong. It felt like her brain was embracing this place and she didn’t like it. She didn’t want this. But it was so comforting. The smell of the food cooking. James’ smile, and the way he looked at her. It was a dream, of course, but she wanted it to be real. Almost as much as she wanted to go home.

Melody woke up in the lab. That was strange. She knew she had fallen asleep in the garden. She was in a bed, with soft sheets and a heavy blanket. She looked down. Beside the little cot, James rested peacefully, his eyes so different from yesterday, when he had looked so lost. So afraid. She smiled, remembering the dream, but immediately frowned. She would not allow herself to be happy here. She had to get home. She needed to, at all costs. There was nothing, not even this boy, this beautiful person, that could stop her.   
She was lost in thought, staring at James when he woke up.   
“What? Is there a scorpion on me? Or a spider?” James said, alarmed when he saw the girl staring holes into his head.  
She shook her head as she got up, walking outside again. James followed her.   
“Are you mad at me?” He asked, sounding a bit mad himself. Melody glared at him, trying not to give anything away. Her thoughts were focused entirely on her dream. His face now was so much more sad than it had been in her thoughts. There was no trace of a smile.

James decided to try one more time before he gave up. “Please.” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Let me help you?”  
Melody looked back at him, looking for a hint of evil, of malice, of anything that would let her not trust him. There was nothing. She nodded at him. “What can I do?”  
He grinned; she was finally listening.  
“We could start with getting you clean? The sky gods have sent you clothing. In the dresser. Yours is the black one I think. And the shower is on the left, in that room there.” He pointed to a small room beside the bed.   
That was a bit weird, though, she thought. These “gods” that James spoke of thought to give her clothing, and more food, she noticed, but not a bed. No, they had simply given her a blanket and a pillow, and written a music note on an empty stretch of floor. Melody, she assumed. Perhaps it was because of her failures.   
The place she had been for the previous three weeks had been torture, and she hadn’t had any clue as to what she was supposed to be doing. She just tried as hard as she could to outrun that tiger cub, and she did, and solve the puzzles, which she did not. There were other test simulations she had been through as well. She didn’t even really remember all of them, she just saw the red tattoos that currently occupied her left ankle. There were four. On her right arm, she saw one blue mark. A music note again. These gods must think they’re pretty funny.  
She turned to James. “Thank you. I’ll uh. I’ll be back shortly.” She turned and left. 

In her drawers, she found clothes fit for the climate she was in, as well as a few more saris from the last location. It seemed she got to keep them. She was glad. The fabric of her favourite sari was a beautiful deep red colour, with golden embellishments. She loved it.

Stepping into the bathroom, she looked around at what she had previously thought was a small room. She had been mistaken. James must have been a real star for his gods to give him all of this. She turned on the water for the shower as she undressed. She cleaned her skin thoroughly, ridding herself of all of the dirt that occupied her hair and skin. When she was finished, she got dressed into her new things, and was about to open the door when she stopped short. James was singing in the room outside. It was a beautiful, haunting tune that he was singing, and it continued for such a long time that Melody wondered if James knew she could hear him.   
When she left the bathroom, though, she realized that he hadn’t any idea she could hear. He was stretched back on his bed, his eyes closed, and his tune still wandering through the air. Melody wanted to watch for longer, but she thought better of it as the dream began to invade her head once more.   
“That’s beautiful. What is it?” she asked, watching still as James opened his eyes slowly and smiling.   
“I’m not sure. My mum used to sing it to me when I was little, and it stuck with me. You look nice. I tried to make your sleeping area nicer. When you get more successes,” he took off his sweater to reveal almost one hundred little white squares on his right arm, “you’ll be able to have a nicer area. The only time the sky gods change things is at night, when you’re asleep.”  
“Oh, thank you.” Melody looked over to the place where her little bed was made. James seemed to have gotten extra blankets from somewhere and had made a sort of makeshift mattress with them. On top he had laid his weighted blanket and gave her an extra pillow. It looked better than she thought it could. She almost wanted to cry.   
In a whisper, Melody said, “Thank you so much.”  
James shrugged, blushing a bit.  
As they fell asleep, both people hoped for one thing: to dream of safety.


End file.
